Feeding-drum for sheet-fed printing presses



Ap 1958 HANS-BERNHARD .SCHUNEMANN FEEDING-DRUM FOR SHEET-FED PRINTING PRESSES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 2, 1955 INVENTOR HANSBERNHARD SCHUNEMANN %%MMM ATTORNEY A ril 22, 1958 HANS-BERNHARD SCHUNEMANN 2, 3

I FEEDING-DRUM FOR SHEET-FED PRINTING PRESSES I Filed June 2, 1955 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR HANS-BERNHARD SCHUNEMANN MMM ATTORNEY United States Patent '0 FEEDING-DRUM FOR SHEET-FED PRINTING PRESSES Hans-Bernhard Schiinemann, Wurzhurg, Germany, assignor to Schnellpressenfabrik Koenig & Bauer Aktiengesellschaft, Wurzburg, Germany, a corporation of Germany Application June 2, 1955, Serial No. 512,835

8 Claims. (Cl. 101-232) The invention concerns the drive of a feeding-drum for sheet-fed printing presses that rotates similarly to a stopcylinder press and that takes from the feeding-table the stationary sheet that in most cases is in position, and transferring same directly to the uniformly rotating impression-cylinder. The movement of such feeding-drums varies and is often complicated. The feeding-drum also called stopping-drum is, for example, not only to stop in a rhythm during a maximum of /3 of an impression cylinder revolution and subsequently to be accelerated to impression cylinder speed, but is to reach a higher than cylinder speed prior to transferring the sheet to the impression cylinder, so as by swiftly removing the sheet in an accelerated way to gain sufficient time for positioning the following sheet. It is especially difiicult to design gears that produce the most favourable forms of movement for the drums and which can be calculated for ob taining highest running speeds.

According to the invention, the complicated and irregularly changing rotating motion and the stopping of the stopping-drum takes place in a rhythm such as is obtained by connecting the stopping drum to the impression cylinder by a train of gears in the known fashion which includes an automatically changing superimposed gear unit.

Automatically changing superimposed gear units have occasionally been used for sheet feeding. For example, a difierential gear has served merely for a shockless slowing-down ofthe table-tapes for the drive of the conveyorbelt shaft of a feeding-table. Furthermore, it has been suggested that a known feeder equipped with a swing-feed and an irregularly rotating intermediate conveyor be connected to the intermediate conveyor with the impression cylinder by means two planetary gears that are independent from each other and placed on opposite sides of the machine and of which one was made force-determining by a spring suspension. In this way a positive drive was to be obtained for the intermediate conveyor that is moved with changing speed but, however, never drops down to zero and never rotates faster than the impression cylinder.

Considerable expenditure is required to obtain this result, viz.: two gears that are independent of each other and two trains of gears leading from the impression cylinder to the intermediate conveyor. Moreover, the sheet is then not conveyed directly from the feedingtable to the impression cylinder, but a common swingfeed conveys the sheet first to an intermediate conveyor which only then passes the sheet on to the impression cylinder. Consequently, there is the drawback of having twice to transfer the sheet that rests completely positioned on the feeding-table.

In contrast with the foregoing, the invention relates to the drive of a feeding-drum that pauses in a rhythm, at the same time taking the sheet from the feeding-table and subsequently, after accelerating and slowing-down, transfers it directly to the uniformly rotating impression cylinder with the latters speed. By using a superimposed gear unit it is, furthermore, possible to make the rhythmical stopping of the stopping-drum vibrationless and continuing for the longest possible time. The positioned sheet resting on the feeding-table is seized and reliably held in dead register during the resting time of the stopping-drum. Furthermore, the sheet can be drawn off the feeding-table faster than the impression cylinder speed so that feeding time is increased for obtaining a higher output. Transferring of the sheet from the feeding-table onto the rotating impression cylinder whilst maintaining absolute dead register is guaranteed by simple means. Beyond this and in the same simple way it is possible for the stopping-drum to turn one more revolution and to run reversed until reaching resting or sheet transfer position on the feeding-table, in order to secure in a special way a safe position of rest for the stopping-drum at the feeding-table during sheet-transferring.

Differential and'planetary gear units are suitable for use as superimposed gear units. The example given shows a planetary gear whose pinion is wedged onto the shaft of the feeding-drum. and whose rim is directly driven by the impression cylinder with a reduced speed, whilst the planetary gears are moved as required by an interrupted controlling-cam.

The advantages of this arrangement lie firstly in the exact adaptability of the gear unit to desiredand predetermined steps of moving of the drum, such as stopping at the feeding-table, accelerated running prior to sheet transfer to the impression cylinder, uniform running during sheet transfer, and stopping and reverse running -until reaching resting position at the feeding-table. On account of the different transmission ratios of the planetary gears according to how each pinion is driven via the rim or the planetary-wheels, relatively small movements of the planetary-wheels suiiice, in order to cause the pinion to rest a greater length of time of a motion period, or even to cause it to run reversed. A further advantage is in using open controlling cams with steering-devices for the movement of the planetary wheel. This is not only favorable as regards manufacturing and erecting, but also as it enables driving the gear retroactively via the pinion,

as the steering roll can move off the controlling cam.

The latter is significant for obtaining sheet transfer from the feeding-table to the drum in dead register and from the drum onto the impression cylinder, as to be described in the example given.

The drawings illustrate:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus including the 7 of the feeding-drum .8. Housing 9 with the planetary wheel 1.0 can be turned round shaft 7. The housingis elfected on the one hand by a pressure spring 11 and on the other hand by a controlling-cam 15 via connect ing-rod 12 and steering-device 13 with roll 14, the controlling-cam 15 rotating with the impression cylinder shaft 1. If, for example, the planetary gear has a transmission ratio of 3:1 between rim 5 and pinion 6, then rim 5 is driven via pinion 3 with /3 of the impression cylinder speed, so that with housing 9 at rest a pinionfeeding-drum 8 rotate together at the same rate as the impression cylinder. If housing 9 is rotating too, then the angular velocity of pinion 6 is slowed down or accelerated depending upon which way housing 9 is rotated.

In case the feeding-drum is to stop with the above mentioned transmission ratio at a certain angle of rotation of the impression cylinder, say at the planetary wheel need then only be turned in the direction of the rotating rim to A1. of this angle, i; e. 30".

In order to secure absolute resting of the drum during sheet transfer from the feeding-table, the controllingcam reduces its radius in a way such as to cause the drum to reverse its run a little. Thereby, the drum rests in a stationary and adjustable pawl 16, affording some play for roll 14 on the controiling-cam. It is expedient that this play be maintained during the whole of the resting time by means of an appropriate shape of the cam.

Upon transfer of the sheet from the drum onto the impression cylinder the circumferential speeds coincide with one another or are almost the same. Within the range of sheet transferring, keeper-tooth 18 of drum 8 is driven by suitable means, such as a register-tooth 17 of impression cylinder 2. Thereby, roll 14 moves a iittle off cam 15, ensuring exact driving of the drum that is direct from the impression cylinder, and thus dead regis ter upon sheet transfer.

In order to maintain the pressure of spring 11 or to adapt it to the requirements prevailing, a cam disk 19 is provided on impression cylinder shaft 1 that effects the required length of the spring by means of roll-lever 29. It is expedient that the whole gear unit runs in an oil bath protected against dust.

The invention does not limit itself to these forms of execution and using of the planetary gear. Similar results can be obtained by using differential gears.

What I claim is:

1. In a printing press of the rotary type having a sheet feed board, a sheet feeding drum positioned adjacent the delivery end of said board and an impression cylinder in sheet transfer position adjacent said feeding drum and below said board permitting a relatively long passage of a sheet on the feed drum, the improvement for driving the feed drum from the impression cylinder assembly comprising a sun gear drivingly attached to the feed drum, a ring rotatably mounted about said sun gear, a planetary gear assembly mounted between the ring gear and sun gear, gear means on said impression cylinder drivingly coupled to said ring gear, a cam on said impression cylinder and rotary therewith, a cam follower for said cam, and means connecting the cam follower and the planetary assembly to cause the planetary assembly to move or remain stationary depending upon the rotary position and movement of said cam whereby the feed drum may be rotated at the same speed as the impression cylinder for sheet transfer, may be stopped for picking up a sheet from said feed board and may be accelerated at a speed faster than said impression cylinder to bring a sheet to transfer position to said impression cylinder.

2. In a printing press according to claim l including a stop pawl associated with the feed drum for registry therewith upon reverse rotation of the drum to stop rotation of the same during sheet pick up, said stopping of the feed drum causing the cam follower to move off of said cam.

3. In a printing press according to claim 2 including a registry tooth attached to said impression cylinder, a registry tooth attached to said feed drum, said registry tooth on the impression cylinder in its rotation striking said registry tooth on the feed drum to cause rotation of same to rotate it off of its stop pawl.

4. In a printing press according to claim 3 a tension device for said planetary assembly for applying a rotary bias thereto in response to selected positions of rotation of said impression cylinder.

5. In a printing press of the rotary type having a sheet feed board, a sheet feeding drum positioned adjacent the delivery end of said board and an impression cylinder in sheet transfer position adjacent said feeding drum and below said board permitting a relatively long passage of a sheet on the feed drum, the improvement for driving the feed drum from the impression cylinder assembly comprising a sun gear drivingly attached to the feed drum, a ring rotatably mounted about said sun gear, a planetary gear assembly mounted between the ring gear and sun gear, gear means on said impression cylinder drivingly coupled to said ring gear, a cam on said in pression cylinder and rotary therewith, a cam follower for said cam, and means connecting the cam follower and the planetary assembly to cause the planetary assembly to move or remain stationary depending upon the rotary position and movement of said cam whereby the feed drum may be rotated at the same speed as the impression cylinder for sheet transfer, may be stopped for picking up a sheet from said feed board and may be accelerated at a speed faster than said impression cylinder to bring a sheet to transfer position to said impres-.

sion cylinder, said gear means on said impression cylinder drivingly coupled to said ring gear including an intermediate gear disposed between the gear on the impression cylinder and the ring gear.

6. In a printing press according to claim 5 including a stop pawl associated with the feed drum for registry therewith upon reverse rotation of the drum to stop rotation of the same during sheet pick up, said stopping of the feed drum causing the cam follower to move off of said cam.

7. In a printing press according to claim 5 including a registry tooth attached to said impression cylinder, a registry tooth attached to said feed drum, said registry tooth on the impression cylinder in its rotation striking said registry tooth on the feed drum to cause rotation of same to rotate it off of its stop pawl.

8. In a printing press according to claim 5 a tension device for'said planetary assembly for applying a rotary bias thereto in response to selected positions of rotation of said impression cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,265,726 Barber May 14, 1918 2,011,744 Wormser Aug. 20, 193 5 2,040,686 Cheshire May 12, 1936 2,084,783 Seybold June 22, 1937 2,192,916 Kaddeland Mar. 12, 1940 2,754,118 Kaddeland July 10, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 686,791 France July 30, 19,30 

